The wife of a man who died after 17 hours of alleged torture in detention is fighting to clear her husband's name and wants the police officers accused of the death behind bars.
Wan Jianguo, a 43-year-old medical company salesman, died on Aug 8 last year after investigators from the Nanchang municipal police bureau of Jiangxi province interrogated him about the deaths of six patients at a hospital in Nanchang.
Wan, according to authorities, was linked to the deaths because the company he worked for provided the immunoglobulin that apparently killed the patients.
Four officers are under trial for the alleged involvement in the torture: Deng Hongfei, who is accused of committing with the intent to injure, Xia Xiangdong, Guo Songlin and Xiong Yu'er.
Outside the court's doors, Wan's wife Wu Peifen said she had refused a 3 million yuan (approximately $440,000) compensation because she wants justice from the legal system.
"I want my husband's innocence," Wu told China Daily. "And to uncover how the 'people's police' can beat an innocent person to death."
"There should never be such a thing happening again. There should never be another Wan Jianguo."
In the two-day trial this week in Nanchang Intermediate People's Court, prosecutors made shocking allegations about Wu's treatment during the 17-hour ordeal. They also suspect that up to seven officers were involved in the torture.
Police had escorted Wan from the couple's house on July 4. He remained in detention until his death at 11:30 am on Aug 8.
In the hours leading up to his death, Wan was tortured in two shifts: The first started at 6 pm on Aug 7 and lasted until 6 am the following day. The second shift ended at 6 pm.
During the first shift, three policemen strung Wan up by a rope tied to his hands tied behind him. They then electrically shocked him, prosecutors alleged.
In the second shift, four more policemen allegedly repeated the mode of torture but also beat him with a long wooden stick.
But at 10:40 am (50 minutes before Wan's death), Deng became enraged after Wan allegedly spit on him. Prosecutors said Deng covered Wan's body with a blanket and beat Wan's bottom and back with the stick. After the blanket dropped, he continued to beat Wan's chest and upper stomach, according to prosecutors. He then allegedly struck Wan's head on the baluster of the window in the interrogation room.
Wan ceased breathing at 11:30 am.
Wan's wife was told by authorities that her husband had died in an "abnormal" way.
"The 17-hour long torture injured my husband all over his body," said Wu.
Prosecutors also allege that Xia Xiangdong, deputy head of the Nanchang municipal bureau's criminal investigation unit, told his team that Wan could be forced into making a confession.
"We cannot apply common interrogation methods, but we need to 'treat violence with violence'. We can force him to confess by the hanging torture method," Xia allegedly said.
Wan's wife said she is not satisfied that only four policemen have been prosecuted and that the officers' superiors are not liable for the death.
Wan's lawyer Zhang Kai said the charges against the policemen were too light.
"All the four should be charged with the crime of intentional murder, as Wan's death was a result of their joint torture," Zhang told China Daily.
Convictions for crimes with the intent to murder can bring up to three years in jail or execution.
The court may hand down sentences in the next two weeks. Wan's wife and his lawyer will apply for a protest if the suspects receive light sentences, they told China Daily.
The investigation into the deaths of the six patients at the hospital at Nanchang University has never been resolved. The hospital paid 200,000 yuan to each of the victims' families last December.
"To date there is no evidence confirming my husband is responsible for the case except that the company my husband working for has had businesses with the hospital," Wu said.
(China Daily July 3, 2009)
